As wireless networks evolve, the demand for high Quality of Service (“QoS”) coupled with, for example, a shortage of wireless spectrum, makes it challenging for network operators to meet user demand. One approach, in Heterogeneous Networks (“HetNet”), is exploitation of Relay Nodes (“RNs”), e.g., low-power nodes, at cell-edges, “hotspots,” or coverage “holes” of the network to boost spatial coverage and/or cell-edge capacity. But, RNs may be constrained by backhaul capacity and/or resource allocation techniques of donor access nodes (“DeNBs”), which may undesirably limit an ability of the RNs to effectively service end-users.
In another approach, wireless networks may implement Coordinated Multipoint (“CoMP”), a wireless technology based on network Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (“MIMO”), to coordinate resource allocation techniques and/or reuse between neighboring DeNBs. For example, in CoMP a group of DeNBs cooperate on a per Transmission Time Interval (“TTI”) basis, for example, using Coordinated Scheduling and Beamforming (“CS/CB”) or Joint Processing (“JP”), which are exploited, particularly at cell-edges, to provide increased channel quality and/or high QoS to select users.
Under a typical CoMP scheme, non-RN users located at, for example, cell-edges, “hotspots,” or coverage “holes” of DeNBs, may be prioritized for CoMP over RNs, limiting the ability of the RNs to provide high QoS to end-users. Because RNs support multiple end-users, it is desirable to prioritize CoMP treatment based on a “relay” status of the user to improve overall QoS of the wireless network.